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Plantar fasciitis is one of the most frustrating injuries a runner can face. That sharp heel pain when you first get out of bed or during your run can stop your training in its tracks. The common advice? Wear good shoes and rest. But here’s the thing: while supportive footwear helps, what you really need are strong feet, solid balance, and a stable core. Strengthening the muscles that control your foot, ankle, and lower leg is key to preventing and recovering from plantar fas

Getting back to running after an injury isn’t just about being cleared—it’s about returning with a plan that reflects how your body heals. And this is where many runners go wrong. You don’t just jump back into your old mileage and hope for the best. Recovery isn’t linear, and it doesn’t end when pain goes away. Tissues heal on their own timelines, and without a strategy to rebuild strength, capacity, and control, the risk of reinjury skyrockets. Here’s what runners often get

When we think about running form, we often focus on cadence, foot strike, or how our arms move, and these are all important. But there’s another key piece that plays a major role in performance, efficiency, and injury risk: the push-off phase. The push-off is when your back foot generates force to propel you into your next stride. You might not think about it much, but this moment plays a critical role in how well you run. What Is the Push-Off Phase? The push-off marks the en

Many runners are doing a better job at integrating strength training into their weekly routine. That’s a win. But even the strongest runner can fall short if their training doesn’t also include power and coordination work. Plyometrics: explosive, controlled movements like hops, bounds, and jumps can bridge that gap. These aren’t just for sprinters or athletes in court sports and they don't have to be complicated or huge box jumps! Plyometrics, when done correctly, improve how

Thirty-five might still feel young, but in the world of running, it marks an important milestone—you’ve officially become a masters runner! While it sounds like a fancy title, it simply reflects that your body is beginning to change in ways that affect how you train, recover, and stay injury-free. But don’t worry—this isn’t about slowing down. With smarter strategies, you can stay fast, fit, and injury-free for decades. Whether you’re male or female, understanding the nuances

Life isn’t always predictable. Whether you're balancing parenting, deadlines, or recovering from poor sleep, maintaining a running routine can feel overwhelming. But running doesn't have to be all or nothing. Building a lasting habit comes down to setting realistic expectations and anchoring your training to the rhythms of your current life not an ideal version of it. Habit Stacking Works When time is short and stress is high, the best approach is to attach your run to a task

The Fast Bananas RUNsource 2024 photo by Alan Lam If you're looking to get stronger, faster, and more efficient — without stacking on a ton of extra miles — hills are your shortcut. They’re simple, effective, and backed by science. Whether you’re prepping for a trail race, marathon training, or just want to run with more confidence and power, adding hill workouts to your week is one of the smartest things you can do. Why Hills Work: The Research Uphill running fundamentally c

Maybe you have a fall marathon planned or you are going to do a local 5k or 10k. Race week can be exciting and nerve wracking so let us help you get through it! Think of race week as a celebration, it is where all your training, planning, and consistency finally get to show off. And yet, this is also where many runners make avoidable mistakes, trying to cram in extra miles, changing routines, or obsessing over last-minute variables. So let’s get clear: the work is done. Your

When runners talk about performance or injury, the focus usually lands on the knees, hips, or even cadence. But there’s one small joint that quietly makes or breaks your stride: the big toe. Specifically, the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint, the hinge that allows your big toe to extend during push-off. It might not look like much, but without proper mobility and strength here, your entire chain from foot to hip is forced to compensate. Over miles, that can affect perfor

When we think about running form, we often focus on cadence, foot strike, or how our arms move, and these are all important. But there’s another key piece that plays a major role in performance, efficiency, and injury risk: the push-off phase. The push-off is when your back foot generates force to propel you into your next stride. You might not think about it much, but this moment plays a critical role in how well you run. What Is the Push-Off Phase? The push-off marks the en

Not every run feels great. In fact, some running feels terrible. You might be dragging your feet, watching your pace fall apart, or questioning why you’re even doing this in the first place. But, the truth is bad runs are part of the process. Every runner, no matter their experience level, has days like this. A bad run doesn’t mean your training is off-track. It means you’re human. Running is a sport of stress and adaptation. Without hard days, there’s no stimulus for growth.

(Because your body doesn’t care if you’re in a hotel room or on vacation) The holidays are wild. You're sleeping in someone else's guest room, eating on a weird schedule, your shoes are buried under someone else's luggage, and you’re trying to keep it together while managing family dynamics and logistics that should qualify as endurance events. Here’s the thing: You don't need to “crush” every workout when you're on the road. But movement helps your body feel better, your ner

Runners hear a lot of advice. I get to hear all about it in clinic every week. Some of it is helpful. A lot of it sounds right. And some of it sticks around long after it should. Most of the time the advice is meant to help and not hurt from training partners, friends, people who have been in your shoes (okay their shoes, but you know what I mean) BUT general advice doesn’t usually address what you have going on. It might feel like a good idea, but it might also make things

Right now we are in the height of marathon season and sometimes for those runners that don't run a marathon, run fast or walk a little they feel less than. Let’s get this out of the way early: If you run, even a little, even with walk breaks, even slowly, you are a runner. You don’t need to qualify it. You don’t need to wait until your first 5K. You don’t need a sub-whatever pace. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. We have a culture problem in running. Somewhere alon

Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but every year I like to tell my story. To build awareness in our running community. I like to remind my friends, patients and anyone that will listen that just because we run and live healthy lives doesn't mean we are invincible. Ten years ago, I was running regularly. Training hard. Lifting. Eating right. Living what looked like a “healthy” runner’s life. And I almost died. Not from a car. Not from dehydration or heat stroke. From my h

You’ve followed your plan. Your mileage looks right. Your strength sessions are dialed in. So why does your body still feel off, or worse, why are you getting injured? Here’s the honest answer: it might not be your running. As runners, we love control. We obsess over pace, cadence, and shoe stack height. But the biggest threat to your training isn’t always in your programming, it’s in everything outside of it. Life stress, sleep, nutrition, and recovery all shape how your bod

If you’ve ever seen a dog bolting down a trail with ears flying, legs stretching, total bliss on four paws, it’s easy to think, this is the perfect running partner. And for a lot of runners, it is. Your dog doesn’t care about your pace, has endless enthusiasm, and keeps you honest on the days motivation is nowhere to be found. But if you're working toward a performance goal or coming back from injury, logging miles with your pup might feel... different. Not bad. Just differen

It’s a scenario most runners know well: you add miles to your long run, switch from treadmill to pavement, or start pushing paces and suddenly, something hurts. Sometimes the pain is a dull, nagging discomfort that fades as you warm up. Other times, it sharpens into a pinpoint spot in your shin that makes every step miserable. That’s when the questions start: Is this just shin splints, or is it something more serious—like a bone stress injury? Both conditions sit on the same

If you’ve been around competitive runners, you’ve probably heard about “doubles”—running twice a day. For elite athletes, double runs are almost a badge of honor. But for the recreational runner who has a job, family, and training plan already packed, the obvious question is: Do I need to do this? Probably not, but maybe. Let’s talk about why doubles exist, who actually benefits, and who should leave them off the calendar. Why Double Runs Exist The main goal of a double run i

Fatigue is part of running. If you’ve ever finished a long run with heavy legs or felt that lingering soreness after hill repeats, you know what I'm talking about. The question isn’t whether fatigue is good or bad it’s what kind of fatigue you’re dealing with. Because there’s a big difference between the stress that helps you adapt and the stress that slowly breaks you down. One builds stronger muscles, tendons, and a more efficient cardiovascular system. The other leads to s